Cape Florida

Lifeguards along Cape Florida on Key Biscayne are searching for medical waste washing ashore after syringes, needles and an IV bag were found on the sand over the weekend. There were no markings on the items, which made it impossible for Dade County health officials to determine their origin, said Walter Livingston, head of the department`s environmental division. "There`s no way of knowing how the items got there," he said. This summer, several beaches along the eastern United States were closed due to hospital-waste contamination.

Fishing report LAKE OKEECHOBEE Bass fishing has been fair, as the fish are still scattered. Recent strong winds have forced anglers to fish inside the grass. EVERGLADES/FRESHWATER Falling water levels in Everglades canals had lots of small largemouth bass biting topwater plugs, jerkbaits and flies. SOUTH FLORIDA INSHORE Tarpon were biting live shrimp at night around Government Cut and in Biscayne Bay. Sheepshead were biiting inside Lake Worth Inlet. SOUTH FLORIDA OFFSHORE A few nice fish have been caught by anglers braving rough seas.

SOUTH FLORIDA Two groups of migrants -- eight from Haiti, five from Cuba -- were returned to their homeland by the U.S Coast Guard on Friday. The Cubans were found at sea 19 miles southeast of Cape Florida in Miami on Wednesday morning. The Haitians were found on Monday on a disabled 26-foot vessel, 33 miles off Fort Lauderdale. Two area residents on a boat discovered them and notified officials.

If your idea of a perfect beach involves a waiter to fetch your drinks and the amenities of a high-rise hotel, then the beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park may not be for you. Because all you can see from this 1 1/4-mile-long pristine beach at the southern tip of Key Biscayne are a lighthouse and the clear, emerald expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. A reef line seven miles from shore acts as a natural break wall, making this a perfect swimming spot where there is never — ever — a rip current.

If your idea of a perfect beach involves a waiter to fetch your drinks and the amenities of a high-rise hotel, then the beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park may not be for you. Because all you can see from this 1 1/4-mile-long pristine beach at the southern tip of Key Biscayne are a lighthouse and the clear, emerald expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. A reef line seven miles from shore acts as a natural break wall, making this a perfect swimming spot where there is never - ever - a rip current.

El Farito, the nickname for the popular Cape Florida beachfront park at the southern tip of Key Biscayne, is slowly recuperating from Hurricane Andrew. Workers are busy trying to pick up the splintered Australian pine trees and other debris in time to reopen by the end of summer. "It is not being used and it is a great beach, a beautiful beach," said Metro-Dade Commissioner Javier Souto, who has been urging the state to speed up rebuilding efforts. "It is summertime. It`s hot," Souto said.

The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for a Virginia man who might have fallen off the Carnival cruise ship Fascination 14 miles off Cape Florida on Friday morning. The man, who was identified as a Virginia Beach resident, 37, was last seen around 3:30 a.m. Friday on the ship's aft deck, the Coast Guard said in a statement. He was reported missing after 7 a.m. when he didn't return to his stateroom. Search crews were tracking a 28-mile stretch for the missing man late Friday using two helicopters, a C-130 cargo plane, a surveillance jet and a cutter.

Two Miami men charged with trying to smuggle 37 Cuban immigrants into the United States were denied bond on Monday in federal court. Jose Lima-Villant, 30, and Miguel Broche-Ortiz, 35, both of Cuban descent, were held in the federal detention center because they posed a risk of endangering the community and fleeing the country. Each faces one count of immigrant smuggling, which carries a five-year prison sentence. Another Miami man, Juan Carlos Ruiz, 33, faces a bond hearing today on the same charge.

Fishing report LAKE OKEECHOBEE Bass fishing has been fair, as the fish are still scattered. Recent strong winds have forced anglers to fish inside the grass. EVERGLADES/FRESHWATER Falling water levels in Everglades canals had lots of small largemouth bass biting topwater plugs, jerkbaits and flies. SOUTH FLORIDA INSHORE Tarpon were biting live shrimp at night around Government Cut and in Biscayne Bay. Sheepshead were biiting inside Lake Worth Inlet. SOUTH FLORIDA OFFSHORE A few nice fish have been caught by anglers braving rough seas.

If your idea of a perfect beach involves a waiter to fetch your drinks and the amenities of a high-rise hotel, then the beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park may not be for you. Because all you can see from this 1 1/4-mile-long pristine beach at the southern tip of Key Biscayne are a lighthouse and the clear, emerald expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. A reef line seven miles from shore acts as a natural break wall, making this a perfect swimming spot where there is never — ever — a rip current.

1200 S. Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne 305-361-5811 floridastateparks.org/capeflorida Whether you seek a day of relaxing, exercise or history, Bill Baggs offers something for everyone. With playgrounds, fishing, hiking, nature trails and a bike path, there are activities for even the pickiest family member at the park. Those wanting to relax can bask on the mile-long natural beach, while history-seekers can visit the Cape Florida Lighthouse.

If your idea of a perfect beach involves a waiter to fetch your drinks and the amenities of a high-rise hotel, then the beach at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park may not be for you. Because all you can see from this 1 1/4-mile-long pristine beach at the southern tip of Key Biscayne are a lighthouse and the clear, emerald expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. A reef line seven miles from shore acts as a natural break wall, making this a perfect swimming spot where there is never - ever - a rip current.

The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for a Virginia man who might have fallen off the Carnival cruise ship Fascination 14 miles off Cape Florida on Friday morning. The man, who was identified as a Virginia Beach resident, 37, was last seen around 3:30 a.m. Friday on the ship's aft deck, the Coast Guard said in a statement. He was reported missing after 7 a.m. when he didn't return to his stateroom. Search crews were tracking a 28-mile stretch for the missing man late Friday using two helicopters, a C-130 cargo plane, a surveillance jet and a cutter.

Race director Robert Pozo of Swim-Bike-Run Inc. is breathing a little easier today after learning his Key Biscayne Triathlon Trilogy Series at Crandon Park on Key Biscayne is still on for Sunday. A sewage spill forced the closure of miles of beaches on Miami Beach and Key Biscayne, along with a huge area of Biscayne Bay. Construction workers accidentally punctured a major sewer main on Tuesday, sending gallons of sewage into the bay. After talking with lifeguards and health officials, Pozo said the quarter-mile swim off Crandon Park is safe.

SOUTH FLORIDA Two groups of migrants -- eight from Haiti, five from Cuba -- were returned to their homeland by the U.S Coast Guard on Friday. The Cubans were found at sea 19 miles southeast of Cape Florida in Miami on Wednesday morning. The Haitians were found on Monday on a disabled 26-foot vessel, 33 miles off Fort Lauderdale. Two area residents on a boat discovered them and notified officials.

Coiled inside the whitewashed brick lighthouse, a steel-black staircase shoots up some 100 feet, opening onto a majestic view of the Gulf Stream's clear waters. Dade Heritage Days, which continues through May and features the county's various architectural, cultural and environmental heritages, recently highlighted the Cape Florida Lighthouse. Built in 1825, the landmark that once guided ships through Biscayne Bay's shallow waters now makes for a scenic backdrop for tourist snapshots. From the parking lot and through a path lined with coconut trees, the lighthouse appears seemingly untouched by hundreds of hurricane seasons and the constant assault of waves, salt and wind.

MIAMI -- More and more, the 9,000 residents of Key Biscayne, home to beaches such as Crandon Park and Cape Florida, are feeling threatened by big development. The latest blow came Thursday night when the Metro-Dade Commission voted unanimously to allow the Miami Seaquarium, a Key Biscayne tenant on county land, to go ahead with a $70 million face lift and expansion that will turn it into a major amusement park. Expansion could quadruple Seaquarium`s annual attendance to 2.8 million, a spokesman said.

Fifteen months ago today, Alan Ranofsky got a second chance. The 66-year-old grandfather from Boca Raton underwent a heart transplant at Jackson Memorial Transplant Center in Miami. Saturday he "celebrates life" at the fourth annual Alan Ranofsky Invitational/20K Florida State Racewalking Championship at Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City at 7:30 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Alan Ranofsky Heart Transplant Fund to help defray medical bills. Ranofsky has returned to racewalking and coaching since the transplant.

Two Miami men charged with trying to smuggle 37 Cuban immigrants into the United States were denied bond on Monday in federal court. Jose Lima-Villant, 30, and Miguel Broche-Ortiz, 35, both of Cuban descent, were held in the federal detention center because they posed a risk of endangering the community and fleeing the country. Each faces one count of immigrant smuggling, which carries a five-year prison sentence. Another Miami man, Juan Carlos Ruiz, 33, faces a bond hearing today on the same charge.